Up to five years for new permanent home for Buxton Museum, says Derbyshire County Council

The museum on Terrace Road was temporarily closed in June 2023 after dry rot was discovered in the building and, almost a a year later, Derbyshire County Council (DCC) announced it was putting the building up for sale. More than 2,000 people have now signed a petition to keep the museum in the town.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “We’re determined to see the collections displayed locally as soon as possible.

“Three to five years is the time we believe it could take to establish a new permanent home for Buxton Museum and Art Gallery and so plans are currently being developed for a museum service to be offered at alternative locations until a permanent home is found.”

Last month, members of We Are Buxton community forum which led the petition, met with DCC representatives, including leader, Councillor Barry Lewis, to discuss the future of Buxton Museum & Art Gallery.

A We Are Buxton spokesperson said: “The county council clarified the discovery of the poor condition of Peak Buildings was not revealed when interior renovations were done in 2017.”

40,000 items in the collection, the bulk of which are Buxton-specific, have been relocated for safe-keeping in the short-term.

We Are Buxton said the importance of keeping the Buxton items in the town has been recognised. The WAB spokespersons were told an interim home is unlikely and ‘not cost effective’.

In addition to the Town Hall, four further options, all in lower Buxton, have been identified as possible new premises, says the community group.

The relocation of the contents of the Boyd Dawkins room to County Hall in Matlock is being explored for the medium-term, says We Are Buxton, with a promise from DCC of the collection coming back to Buxton.

A DCC spokesperson added: “We can’t make any decisions about exactly how the temporary service will operate until a suitable building is secured, but potentially it could include a small temporary museum in the town as well as additional ‘pop-up’ displays at other venues.

“We’re liaising with a range of new and existing partners to explore options and are looking forward to discussions with local groups in the near future, who we hope will work with us in helping secure the very best possible long-term solution.”

The pop-up program has already started and the county council is hosting events at various venues every Thursday, plus one Friday, during the school holidays to deliver activities which mix education and entertainment inspired by the town’s heritage.

The next will be at the Pump Room on August 15, the theme will be the carved faces found all over Buxton and visitors can craft new gargoyles from clay or cardboard.

August 22 will be at Buxton Library, on Kents Bank Road, honouring the Buxton Mermaid.

The following day, August 23, at the Crescent Assembly Rooms, there will be a mini exhibition from the museum collection.

Finally, back at the library on August 29, participants can learn about the Victorians, Romans and wild cave dwellers and make dioramas and peg-dolls of those bygone peoples.